


lights out

by serpentkinglink



Series: tumblr fills [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, No Slash, Teenaged Rhett & Link, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21552022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serpentkinglink/pseuds/serpentkinglink
Summary: A thunderstorm knocks the power out.Link's afraid of the dark.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Series: tumblr fills [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552519
Comments: 20
Kudos: 64





	lights out

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #2: teen!Rhink power outage!

Link's not afraid of the dark. 

He's _not._

“You are,” Rhett whispers gleefully, poking Link in the ribs and making him flinch. He nearly knocks his head into the low ceiling beam. Outside, a clap of thunder shakes the ground, and Link swears he can hear the sound of a tree being split in two. 

Summer was unusually dry, trees and flowers shriveling up into husks that warranted brush fire hazard warnings for months. But the rain's returned with a vengeance, and now, well into autumn, it hasn’t shown signs of letting up; unending storms strip leaves off trees, clogging gutters with wet mulch. 

Even in the basement, protected from the torrential downpour, Link feels like he’s just stepped out of a pool and into a refrigerator. The air is thick with cold humidity and ripe with the smell of damp old furniture. He almost wants to ask Rhett when the last time they swept down here was, then thinks better of it. He doesn’t want to know. 

Link does his best to suppress the shiver that crawls up his spine--it’s _freezing_. His t-shirt is glued to his sticky skin, hands cold and clammy. A few hours ago, when the rest of the house had been hot and uncomfortable underneath the burning afternoon sun, it had seemed like a good idea to escape down to the chill of the basement. But sometime between finishing calculus and starting AP chemistry homework, it had started to rain.

“I’m _not!_ Just wanna be able to see where the spiders are, man,"Link hisses, feeling out the immense darkness. He flexes his socked feet against the chilly cement floor. 

He’d expected his eyes to adjust after the power had gone out, but if anything, it feels like the opposite has happened. 

The singular window in the far corner of the room--a tiny rectangular envelope-sized pane--lets in just enough light for Link to be able to parse out the rough shape of Rhett, who is currently standing both too far and too close to him for comfort.

Link holds up a hand in front of his face and tries to count his fingers. 

“What spiders?” Rhett snickers, and then Link feels Rhett’s fingers ghost up his exposed arm. 

“Cut it out!” Link cries, jerking his arm away while Rhett cackles. Another peal of thunder, closer this time, covers up the rest of Rhett’s laughter, and there are two subsequence flashes of light from the small window, and two echoing crashes. When the racket stop it’s silent, save for the rushing patter of rain striking the house, and the howling wind. 

“C’mon, let’s just go upstairs. Least there’s windows up there,” Link says. The darkness is disorientating, suffocating, and he’s not afraid of the dark. He's _not._

But there’s something about not knowing where he is--and not being able to physically _see_ where he is in relation to Rhett--that’s making his heart pound in his throat. 

There’s a hand on his arm--Rhett’s hand, warm and slightly damp. Rhett’s hands are always sweaty, but the touch of it is comforting. Link still can’t see him--he's just a silhouette in darkness--but Rhett’s hand around his wrist is grounding.

And then, Rhett’s hand travels--firm this time, not pretending to be a spider--blindly feeling down Link wrist in the dark. Fumbling, clumsily, to lace their fingers together.

For a moment, there is nothing but rushing static noise in Link’s head. Or maybe he’s hearing the raging wind outside. 

“Wh...why you holdin’ my hand?” Link croaks, a beat too late. Rhett’s hands are large and calloused--bigger than any girl’s hand he’s ever held. But his fingers are slim, and gentle with Link’s hand. Not crushing it, like when they clasp hands to arm wrestle. Just holding it, reassuring. When was the last time they’d done this? Not since they were kids. Maybe when they played red rover in middle school. 

“It’s not like that—just don’t want you trippin’ over your own feet, bo,” Rhett rumbles, his voice somewhere just above Link’s head, raising goosebumps on his arm. Rhett’s standing a lot closer to him than he’d thought. “You know how clumsy you get. Don’t want you breakin’ things. Or hurtin’ yourself.” 

Link opens his mouth to bite out a retort, but can’t think of anything to say. What did Rhett mean “not like that?” _Like what?_

Thunder rocks the house. Link feels the vibration of it tumble through Rhett’s chest, and settle in his own. Rhett’s hand is _so warm_ in his, a contrast to the cold numbness of his other hand. 

“C’mon,” Rhett says, pulling lightly. And step by step, hand in hand, Rhett leads him through the darkness, stepping around the basement furniture and cluttered debris by memory. Link follows, blind. Trusting. 

They’d closed the door to the basement earlier— _stupid_ —but when Link feels his hand being tugged slightly upwards, he knows they’ve hit the stairs, clear across the other side from where they’d started.

“Alright, watch yourself. The handrail’s on the right,” Rhett says from above him, already on the first step. His hand falls away and suddenly, Link finds himself clutching at nothingness. 

“Wait!” 

Link gropes blindly in the dark—searching—foot catching on the first step. He reaches out and latches onto Rhett at the last moment. 

“Jeez, Link,” Rhett groans, straining under their unbalanced weight. Link quickly finds his footing again but doesn’t let go of Rhett’s forearm even after he does. Rhett’s big hands search in the dark for Link’s shoulders, patting them gently. Making sure he's okay. 

“Sorry,” Link mumbles. 

“‘S fine. Let’s just—“

And in the darkness, Rhett’s fingers hastily trace where Link is gripping Rhett’s forearm, peels Link’s fingers away, and laces his fingers through again. 

Errantly, without consciously thinking about it, Link runs his thumb over the bony joint of Rhett’s thumb. The skin there is smooth and dry. 

Rhett goes silent. 

Link is suddenly grateful for the darkness. He can’t see whatever expression is on Rhett’s face. 

“Maybe we can just...wait it out. Power’s out, anyway. What’s the point in going upstairs? Lights are out up there too,” Link says. His voice sounds irrationally calm to his own ears. 

Thunder booms again, but neither of them flinch this time. 

“Thought you didn’t like the dark,” Rhett says, quiet. "We'd be sitting in the dark down here."

Link shakes his head, then remembers that Rhett can’t see him. 

It was never the darkness he was afraid of. 

“It’s not so bad,” he whispers instead. 

There’s a moment where there is only the rain, the wind, and the distant rumble of thunder. And the dark. What had felt immense and terrifying moments ago doesn't seem so bad, with Rhett by his side, holding his hand.

Then, Rhett tugs at his hand. Link opens his hand up immediately, because Rhett had said _not like that_ and now he’s letting go--

\--but Rhett keeps a steady grasp as he pulls both of them to sit on the bottom step of the staircase, shoulder to shoulder, clasped hands settling on their touching knees. The sudden motion of it is disorientating, but the weight of Rhett next to him makes the adjustment easy. 

“We can sit here and wait out the storm,” Rhett says. 

“Okay,” Link says. Rhett’s hand is warm in his. They’ll wait out the storm. They’ll wait through the darkness, together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://serpentkinglink.tumblr.com)
> 
> Special thanks to [@thefrenchmaidoutfit](https://thefrenchmaidoutfit.tumblr.com) for taking a look! All remaining mistakes are my own.


End file.
